This invention relates to vaginal atrophy.
Vaginal atrophy is a condition occurring in some women, typically postmenopausal women, in which there is significant thinning of the mucosa of the vagina. The thin vaginal mucosa lacks maturation, i.e., it consists of numerous parabasal cells and little or no superficial and intermediate cells, which results in decreased glycogen deposits and a higher pH.
Symptoms resulting from the abnormally thin vaginal mucosa include vaginal dryness, discomfort, itching, dyspareunia, infection, inflammation, ulcers, discharge, and bleeding Vaginal atrophy is caused chiefly by an estrogen deficiency; the mucosa of the vagina is an estrogen sensitive tissue and a well-known target organ for estrogen.
The administration of exogenous estrogen can dramatically reverse the atrophic process by causing the vaginal epithelium to undergo proliferation and maturation, causing an increase in superficial and intermediate cells, and thereby causing an increase in vaginal mucosal thickness. The administration of exogenous estrogen also influences glycogen deposits and vaginal acidity. Many postmenopausal women are however unable to use estrogens due to medical contraindications such as a history of breast, endometrial or ovarian cancer and various hematological disorders. In addition, some postmenopausal women who would benefit from estrogen replacement do not receive replacement due to fears of estrogens in general or undesirable side effects. The treatment of vaginal atrophy in patients who do not use exogenous estrogen is a significant therapeutic problem; most of these women are forced to endure their symptoms due to the lack of effective treatment alternatives.